More Than a Few Misconceptions
by Jenaura
Summary: AU! Mid season 4 with spoilers up to that point. Sam is convinced that Ruby isn't everything he thought and resolves to do something about it. However, there are always repercussions. Lots of Hurt!Sam and Moody!Dean. Rated T for violence and somewhat graphic injury. 8/27/13: delay back in effect due to a finicky muse. Chapter 6 hopefully starting soon.
1. Was It Really?

**Summary: **Mid season 4 with spoilers up to that point. Sam is convinced that Ruby isn't everything he thought and resolves to do something about it. However, there are always repercussions. Lots of Hurt!Sam and Moody!Dean.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing related to Supernatural; all credit goes to Eric Kripke, Sara Gamble, and their wonderful team of sadists.

**A/N: **Just as fair warning, this is my first attempt at this kind of fanfiction. I'll do my best to update as often as possible, but I'm prone to nasty attacks of writers block.

Chapter 1

Sam was done. More importantly, Ruby was done. Sam would not let himself be played right in to Ruby's hands ever again. Dean had known the whole time, from the moment that Sam told him what was going on, that Ruby was just waiting for the right time to screw Sam over-pun intended. Sam contemplated this as he tucked a gun and knife into his pants' waistband.

With the promise that Sam had made to Dean about not going to Ruby again, Sam felt a sharp twinge of guilt for sneaking out of the motel room. However, he couldn't feel regret at the moment; he had a job to do. And it was about time too. This time, Sam was well prepared. Nothing would stop him now.

Closing the front door behind him, Sam glanced at his cellphone again. The address of the rendezvous glared back at him in the dark environment. Ruby wouldn't suspect anything. Sam knew that there were flaws to this plan, but he had to take his chances.

Ten minutes later, Sam found himself at an abandoned house. A modest house, one with two stories and with plenty of yard space. Paint peeled from the exterior walls and the wood of the patio and door was well on the way to being rotted out. It must have been beautiful once. Now it looked just as creepy as it felt. Sam's cellphone beeped.

'I'm in the bedroom.' The text on the screen read. Sam looked up. There was a soft glow from a candle visible in one of the upper story windows. Sam made his way reluctantly up the patio, fingering the knife as he put the phone back in his pocket.

Once inside, the house looked no more inviting than it did when Sam was outside. Sam's heartbeat picked up in pace with each step up the stairs. His movements were slow and calculated, careful and quiet. At the threshold of the bedroom, Sam paused and steadied his breathing. There wasn't a sound from inside, but Ruby was undoubtedly there. Waiting ever so patiently for Sam.

Sam entered the room where Ruby's face was illuminated dimly by another candle.

"Nervous, Sam?" Ruby asked, pressing her body gently up against Sam's.

Sam stepped back smoothly. "We're cutting it too close. Dean's getting suspicious and I don't like lying to him."

"But Sam, you're doing a lot of good!" Ruby purred, reaching around Sam's chest from behind. "Think of all the people you've been saving. I don't see Dean doing anything. He'd rather condemn you for helping them than actually help them himself. Besides, you lie all the time. You both do."

Sam tensed slightly as Ruby's hands wandered farther south. "Dean has a right to wonder. And yeah, we lie, but it's to help people. Not to intentionally deceive them."

"But you _are_ helping Dean. You're doing this all for him, right? How can he-or anyone else- honestly say that this is for your own good?"

Sam shook his head. "Maybe I was doing it for him in the beginning, but you know as well as I do that it hasn't been about him for a while. This is about you getting a better status." Sam turned around, holding Ruby in one arm while arming himself with his knife in the other. "And I'm done being a puppet."

As Sam lunged at Ruby with the knife, Ruby shoved Sam against the wall by the door. "You know, I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. We could have done it together."

Sam shoved Ruby forcefully, lunging again. Ruby feinted to the left and shoved a knife of her own into the muscle of Sam's upper left back and yanked up. A sneer formed on Ruby's face as Sam let out a pained gasp.

"You're not making it out of here alive, Sam." Ruby hissed.

Sam lifted his knife arm and plunged the knife into Ruby's heart. He took no satisfaction in the look in Ruby's eyes as the familiar crackle of light pulsed through her body. "Neither are you." Sam gasped, yanking the knife out and stepping back.

Ruby's host body fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. Sam didn't even bother salting and burning the body as he left the building. He simply settled on staying awake long enough to get to the motel.

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I'll do my best to keep updating; I'd love for you to review!


	2. Hurt The Ones We Love

**Summary: **Mid season 4 with spoilers up to that point. Sam is convinced that Ruby isn't everything he thought and resolves to do something about it. However, there are always repercussions. Lots of Hurt!Sam and Moody!Dean.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing related to Supernatural; all credit goes to Eric Kripke, Sara Gamble, and their wonderful team of sadists.

**A/N: **Second chapter posted! Yay! There's a little bit of Dean being out of character (you'll know when you see it) and there's definitely a reason for this. Just bear with me. Third chapter should be up in the next few days.

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Chapter 2

Dean was absolutely still as he waited in the chair by the desk. To say he was livid was an understatement. Sam had promised. A promise that Dean had hoped with his whole being that wouldn't be broken. Of course, he knew it would be, but that did little to take the edge off of the pain. If anything, it fueled his anger.

The door clicked open, followed by Sam shuffling into the room. Sam either didn't see Dean or was ignoring him. Either way, it chapped at Dean's hide.

"Nice of you to show up, Sam. You know, I was thinking of going out myself. Maybe to bang a shapeshifter." The brother in Dean winced at the words. However, everything else was too mad to listen.

Sam slumped in on himself and walked past Dean into the bathroom. Dean heard the door close and the creak of weight on the counter.

"That's right, Sam. I forgot. You run away from your problems. Well, all of your problems except for Ruby. It's a little late for that though." Dean barked. There was a thud from the bathroom. "Real mature, Sam. You can throw your little tantrum, but nobody's backing you up this time."

Dean took a deep breath and relaxed his tense muscles. There came a sound from somewhere in the room, but he wasn't sure what it was. Dean immediately strained his ears and listened for another sound. He was duly rewarded.

"Dean," Sam called out from the bathroom. His voice was too quiet and had telling sounds of pain. Dean was on his feet in an instant and quickly crossed over to the bathroom door.

"Sam?" Silence. "Sam, open the door." Dean listened, but all he could hear was heavy breathing. "Sam, this isn't funny!"

Worry clouding his features, Dean tried the doorknob to find that the door was unlocked. Thank goodness for small miracles. Dean pushed the door open but found it could only open partway. There was something heavy blocking the door. Sam's legs were curled together and visible from the barely open door.

"Crap, Sam!" Dean wedged himself through the door and stepped over Sam's legs.

Dean did not like what he saw. Sam lay curled up on his side, his back facing Dean. In a panic, Dean put a hand on Sam's back, eliciting a garbled cry from Sam. Dean immediately moved his hand away, finding it soaked with blood. Flashbacks from Cold Oak moved Dean into action.

Gently gripping Sam by the shoulders, Dean moved Sam over toward the tub and leaned him over Dean's arm. Sam had lost consciousness when Dean touched his back, which meant that whatever was there was bad. Very bad. Dean very carefully lifted the shirt over Sam's head and shoulders, tossing it to the ground. A long, eight inch gash starting from the middle of Sam's back extending to the tip of the shoulder blade oozed out thick blood. Dean swallowed down nausea when he realized that he could see muscle and bone exposed in the gash.

Dean knew that this was beyond his first aid skills. As much as he hated to do it, Dean had to call an ambulance. That alone carried him into another stage of panic. The call was made and within fifteen minutes, the paramedics were at the door. Standard questions were asked and answered until the paramedics got to the bathroom and treating Sam.

As they got ready to get Sam to the hospital, the paramedics threw around words like 'hypovolemic shock' and 'bad muscular damage'. Dean stood in a daze, watching the paramedics work. The question of how this happened kept reverberating through Dean's brain, occupying his mental capacities. He must have been standing there, silent, for a while because a paramedic put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small shake.

"Sir, we're taking your brother to the hospital now. You're gonna have to follow us in your own car though." The paramedic gave a sympathetic smile and moved to get the stretcher out of the room.

Dean nodded and watched Sam be transported to the ambulance. Once sure that Sam was secure, Dean grabbed his keys and jacket and hopped into the Impala. It was going to be a long night.


	3. Temporary Truce

**Summary: **Mid season 4 with spoilers up to that point. Sam is convinced that Ruby isn't everything he thought and resolves to do something about it. However, there are always repercussions. Lots of Hurt!Sam and Moody!Dean.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing related to Supernatural; all credit goes to Eric Kripke, Sara Gamble, and their wonderful team of sadists.

**A/N: **Sorry for the short chapter; I've been having a hard time writing lately and am grateful for your patience. I'll try to write chapter 4 as soon (and as well) as I can.

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Chapter 3

The car ride to the hospital gave Dean too much time to think. He was caught between worry for Sam and the hurt he felt at being lied to. Needless to say, he was a mess by the time he got to the hospital and was told to wait in the emergency ward waiting room.

The waiting room was actually pretty empty. This probably had something to do with it being almost three in the morning. The rest Dean attributed to the area being a pretty quiet, peaceful town in the middle of nowhere. Dean found out fast that the people in the town were actually pretty decent people when he and Sam investigated for this last hunt.

Comparatively, the wait was much shorter than some of the waits Dean had been forced to endure for Sam in the past. A doctor came out within twenty-five to thirty minutes asking for the family of Sam Hunter. Dean stood up and followed the doctor to their office.

The doctor gestured to a relatively comfortable looking seat in front of her desk. "Have a seat, Mr…"

"Hunter. I'm Sam's brother." Dean gave the chair an offended look before finally sitting in it. The doctor gave a kind smile and sat down in her chair.

"I'm Doctor Slick, and I'll be Sam's doctor during his stay here. I'll get right down to business. Sam's lost a lot of blood, which we're monitoring closely. Several ribs were cracked and two were broken. The muscles in his back were heavily damaged and I'm afraid that your brother will have to have extensive physical therapy for several months. I'm afraid your brother is also going to need surgery on his back to repair some of the damage."

"I'm Doctor Slick, and I'll be Sam's doctor during his stay here. I'll get right down to business. Sam's lost a lot of blood, which we're monitoring closely. Several ribs were cracked and two were broken. The muscles in his back were heavily damaged and I'm afraid that your brother will have to have extensive physical therapy for several months. I'm afraid your brother is also going to need surgery on his back to repair some of the damage."

"He's going to be okay though, right?" Dean inquired, his eyes fixed hopefully on the doctor.

Dr. Slick gave a sincere smile. "It's going to take a long time for Sam to recover fully, but yes. Especially if he gets the surgery he needs."

Dean scrubbed a hand across his lower face, clearly concerned. "When are you taking him into surgery?"

Dr. Slick glanced up momentarily at the clock on the wall. "As soon as we can. I'm thinking sometime in the next few hours, considering that Sam's life isn't in immediate danger. You're welcome to sit in the room with him until it's time for the surgery though."

Dean nodded, slightly more relaxed. Getting an honest answer was what he needed, even if the news wasn't too great. "I'd like that."

The trip to Sam's room was quiet as each adult opted not to speak. Dean didn't really feel in the mood to talk about anything, and Dr. Slick understood that Dean may need some time to just think.

Once in Sam's room, Dean took a good look at his brother. Sam was really pale and was hooked up to a bag of blood in addition to his normal IV. Dark smudges under Sam's eyes indicated uneasy sleep-if any at all. Reason settled into Dean's mind again. Maybe the talk would have to wait. Dr. Slick left with the assurance that Sam wouldn't be awake for another few hours. With that, Dean sat in one of the crappy, uncomfortable chairs and attempted getting some sleep.

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**Please take the time to review!**


	4. Uncomfortable Quiet

**Summary: **Mid season 4 with spoilers up to that point. Sam is convinced that Ruby isn't everything he thought and resolves to do something about it. However, there are always repercussions. Lots of Hurt!Sam and Moody!Dean.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing related to Supernatural; all credit goes to Eric Kripke, Sara Gamble, and their wonderful team of sadists.

**A/N: **Sam's awake. I know there are probably issues with this chapter, so you'll have to forgive me. I promise more awesome fun times in the next few chapters.

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_Chapter 4_

Sam shifted uncomfortably in bed, wincing as the motion awoke fresh pain in his chest and back. Struggling to clear the haze in his head, Sam opened heavy eyelids. Bright, glaring fluorescent lights against a white ceiling and the sharp, powerful smell of antiseptic informed Sam that he was at the hospital. Confused, Sam tried to remember why he would be in there. Rather suddenly, Sam remembered the incident at the house, followed by the memory of what happened at the motel.

_Staying awake had proved to be harder than Sam thought. Blood streamed down his back, his pants, even into his shoes. What should have taken ten minutes took twenty. After a while though, the blood had started to congeal. Must have had something to do with the chilled night air, Sam realized belatedly. By the time Sam got to the motel door, he was dragging his feet, barely staying upright. Reaching for the doorknob tugged painfully at the wound and it was all Sam could do not to cry out when the pain was so overwhelming._

_Stepping through the doorway, Sam swayed dangerously. As he moved toward the bathroom, he heard Dean's voice as if it were coming from underwater. Sam couldn't understand a word being said, but slumped forward at the angry, biting tone ushered from Dean's mouth. In the bathroom, Dean's voice carried through the door, but Sam was too busy feeling his back. Sam felt the acute pain in his back and was vaguely aware of the tight, burning sensation in his chest._

_Gravity finally won the war against Sam, sending him careening to the bathroom floor. Between the stray thoughts of 'eww, gross' and 'oh my gosh, I'm on the floor,' Sam called Dean's name. Not quite loud enough, Sam called out again, this time yelling. In a few long, agonizing seconds, Sam heard Dean's voice. Over and over. In fact, Sam was only partially aware when the door hit him in the head and chest. A minute passed until Sam felt a horrible shift in pain in his back and promptly passed out._

The pain ramped up again and Sam wondered when the last time he got painkillers was. He also wondered where Dean was and decided to handle the more manageable of the two problems. Sam turned his head to the right first, noticing the clock on the wall that read 11:23. Accidentally letting out a pained groan, Sam turned his head to the left and watched his brother's head jerk up and look at Sam from a chair. Sam would have felt bad for waking Dean up if the pain weren't getting worse.

"Sam?" Dean took in Sam's pinched expression and wondered just how long he had been asleep. A brief glance at his watch elicited a groan of his own. "Dang it Sam, I must have dozed off." Dean pressed the call button and sat up in his chair.

Sam offered a wan smile. "It's okay, Dean." Sam cringed at his voice. It sounded weak and strained and Sam wished he could shove the words back down his throat.

A nurse walked into the room and attracted Dean's sharp gaze. "What happened?" She asked concernedly.

"I think Sam's painkillers are wearing off," Dean replied.

The nurse looked at Sam's chart and nodded, walking off to grab some painkilllers. "He's due for his next dosage." Injecting the painkiller into Sam's IV, the nurse also noticed the bad positioning of Sam's body. Carefully readjusting Sam into a position more conducive to rest, the nurse smiled. "This should help some as well," She said, followed by a statement about her going and getting Sam's doctor.

Sam definitely seemed to be in less pain, Dean noted absently. Questions about Sam's visit with Ruby weighed heavily on his mind, but Dean opted to let Sam start the conversation. However, Sam seemed as unwilling to talk as Dean was.

Dr. Slick came into the hospital room and did a small examination. Noting the tense, stale air of the room, she opted not to talk too much to the boys, only stating that Sam seemed to be recovering okay and that she was glad he was awake.

A few moments passed after the doctor left the room before Sam let out a sigh and turned his head to face Dean. "What happened?" He asked tentatively.

Dean couldn't help but gape at Sam for a moment. Of all the questions to ask, it _had_ to be that one. "That's what I'd like to know, Sam." Dean retorted coldly, anger barely concealed. Sam's face clouded with guilt at the comment and Dean sighed, frustrated. "We'll talk later. Just go back to sleep."

Sam gave Dean an apologetic look and closed his eyes wearily. There was no way Sam was looking forward to that talk, but he had to believe that somehow, he would be able to explain what happened and Dean would listen.


	5. Of Lies and Men

**Summary: **Mid season 4 with spoilers up to that point. Sam is convinced that Ruby isn't everything he thought and resolves to do something about it. However, there are always repercussions. Lots of Hurt!Sam and Moody!Dean.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing related to Supernatural; all credit goes to Eric Kripke, Sara Gamble, and their wonderful team of sadists.

**A/N: ** Sorry for the wait guys, writers block compounded with family vacation to make a truly horrible mess. Thanks for waiting though.This is mainly an explanation of the show from season 1 to season 4 of _Supernatural._ Please don't feel obligated to read this chapter if you've seen these seasons. Mainly pay attention to the last three paragraphs.

_Chapter 5: Of Lies and Men_

Sam woke up periodically over the next few days. During that time, he and Dean alternated between small talk and uncomfortable silence. Sometimes, but not very often, Dean would be gone for the entirety of Sam's waking moment. During this time, however, both brothers were able to think long and hard about the last few years.

Dean had retrieved a reluctant Sam from Stanford University in search of their father, who had gone missing during a hunt presumably for the Yellow-Eyed Demon that killed his wife Mary. The brothers happened upon a hunt, hoping it would assist them in their search for their dad. The hunt went fine, but upon return to Sam's apartment, Sam found his live-in girlfriend Jessica dead and burning on the ceiling-killed the exact way his mother was on Sam's six month birthday. Dean brought his brother from the burning apartment, reinitiating the bond between him and his brother and starting the hunt again.

Sam and Dean had struggled the first year with new and glorious issues where their bond was tested. Dean had been electrocuted to the point of almost dying and Sam, unwilling to let his brother die, successfully fought tooth and nail to keep his brother alive. Dean helped Sam with nightmares incurred from Jessica's death and incumbent feelings of estrangement and frustration with their father. Psychic visions began assaulting Sam, gradually enlightening the brothers of a plan involving Sam. Between all of this, many supernatural entities forced quiet, harsh emotions to the surface of the boys' psyches, forcing the brothers to question whether or not one actually cared about the other and vice versa. Somehow though, the brothers made it out, bond intact.

The brothers had eventually reunited with their father, and within days Sam and John were fighting head to head over age-old issues. Sam fought against his father's commanding personality and John fought against Sam's insubordination. After various 'break ups and make ups', however, John was possessed by the Yellow-Eyed Demon and asked Sam to shoot and kill him with a supernatural gun that can kill any entity. Sam refused and shot John instead in the leg. As a result, Dean, who had been critically injured during his father's possession, John, and Sam were T-boned by a separate demon. All three landed in a hospital where Dean had to fight for his life. In the end, John sold his soul and the gun to the Yellow-Eyed Demon in exchange for Dean's life. The deal was made and John was sent to hell after giving Dean the instruction to kill Sam if he couldn't save him.

The next year had Dean struggling with the empty hollow feeling left behind from his father's sacrifice. Sam did his best to console his brother, but to no avail. Dean ended up telling Sam their father's final words, leaving Sam feeling lost, but hopeful that things would be okay. Further revelation all through informed the brothers that the Yellow-Eyed Demon had plans for Sam, whatever they might be. Even though the year had been hard, the bond between the brothers had held and even strengthened.

Near the end of that year, Sam was kidnapped by the Yellow-Eyed Demon and was put in a competition for his life at Cold Oak in which psychic children like him (who had the Yellow-Eyed Demon's blood running through their veins) had to kill one another until only the strongest was left. Sam and a companion, Jake, were the last two standing when Jake decided to try to kill Sam. Sam knocked Jake seemingly unconscious and began walking away when Dean and family friend Bobby arrived. However, Jake recovered quickly, grabbed Sam's discarded knife, and stabbed Sam in the back before Dean could get to Sam. The knife to the back killed Sam, devastating Dean.

Dean ended up making a deal with a crossroads demon for Sam's life, unable to live without his brother. Typically, when a deal is struck with a crossroads demon, they will give you whatever what you want in exchange for your soul in ten years. However, due to Sam and Dean being hated hunters among demons, the demon was unwilling to make the deal. After what could only be considered pleading, the demon acquiesced and granted Dean a year with Sam before his soul would be dragged to hell. The only stipulation was that if Dean tried to weasel out of the deal, Sam would instantly die. The deal was struck, Sam came back, and Bobby was_ pissed_.

As a result, Sam felt the same feelings of betrayal and emptiness that Dean felt. The Yellow-Eyed Demonwas able to open the gates of hell and bring out a host of demons before the doors were shut and he was killed (with assistance from John Winchester himself). Over the next year, Sam fought hard to get Dean out of the deal, to the extent where he didn't take care of himself right. A trickster forced Sam to live out thousands of the same day in which Dean died, showing Sam that no matter what he did, Dean was destined to go to hell. During this 'Freaky Friday'-esque period of time, Sam had to live out an existence where Dean stayed dead and found it unlivable. Sam was released and found himself reluctant to tell Dean exactly what had happened, but still tried to find ways to save Dean.

However, at the end of the year, Dean's time was up and he was dragged to hell in front of his brother. Sam had promised though that he wouldn't use his psychic powers as they tended to harm Sam physically. Dean had considered their bond fine through _that _year too.

Ever since Dean had come back from hell though, Sam had been acting really off and had snuck out on more than one occasion in the middle of the night. Eventually, Dean found that Sam was drinking demon blood to 'enhance his abilities'. Compounded with this offense was the revelation that Sam was also _sleeping_ with the skank of a demon he was drinking the blood of. Needless to say, this was just par for the course and Ruby became a subject of great frustration in the brothers' relationship.

As Sam became more dependent on the demon blood, Dean tried more and more fervently to sway Sam against going to Ruby. Sam insisted that Ruby's intentions were good and that she was the only thing that kept Sam alive during Dean's stay in hell. Dean, even though recognizing that the latter was true, still felt strongly that Ruby had ulterior motives. However, Winchester pride unavoidably got in the way and neither brother backed down.

Eventually, Sam gave Dean his word that he would not go visit Ruby again. Dean knew that the likelihood of this happening was almost nonexistent, but he really had hoped that Sam would follow through on his promise. With this latest betrayal, Dean really couldn't help but wonder if it was even worth it to try anymore. If Sam couldn't see that Dean cared, then he was just out of luck. Dean was really hurting and Sam probably didn't care. Heck, he probably couldn't even think past the need for the demon blood at this point, and didn't that just bite?

Dean had a hard time understanding how easily the bond between he and Sam had broken. He could no longer tell what his brother was thinking or feeling from a glance, could no longer detect if Sam was taking care of himself. The loss of the bond kind of just felt empty, but each time Dean became aware of it, he was overwhelmed by the hurt of being lied to over and over. Brothers, especially Dean and Sam, were always supposed to be honest. Now Dean had no assurance that Sam was really covering his back, no assurance that he could even trust Sam.

By the time Sam had been in the hospital for four days, Dean had resolved to get to the bottom of things when Sam was better. The problem was, who knew how long that would be?

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**Hope you liked this chapter and the approach I'm taking with Dean. Please take time to review!**


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